Gostha Pal, aged 16, made his official debut for Mohun Bagan against Blackwatch in the Calcutta Football League. Picked as a replacement for Reverend Sudhir Chatterjee, Gostha, immortalised as one of the best players ever to play for the club, had not done well in the practice game against Dalhousie. In fact, he was a disaster on the slushy ground, allowing the strikers to score two goals past him.
On this fateful day a century earlier, Pal came to the club with the knowledge that he wouldn’t play. However, two individuals had other ideas. Much to Pal’s amazement, Rajen Sen and Bhuti Sukul, both illustrious members of the 1911 IFA shield winning side, got Gostha in the starting line-up in the very first match of the season. Sukul even sacrificed his own position and moved to left back, allowing Pal to play right back. To quote Gostha Pal’s son Nirangshu, “Thus began a career which continued uninterrupted for the next 22 years for Mohun Bagan.”
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Within a year of his debut, Pal got married. It is quite a story. To quote Nirangshu one more time, “Not sure of what Gostha was doing in Calcutta, his mother decided that he needed to get married for that would make him more responsible.” Hence, Gostha and Pushpa Kundu entered holy matrimony. This prompted Gostha to stop going to the club since he hadn’t invited anyone for his marriage. Not having seen him for some time, then Secretary Major Subehdar Sailen Bose called him to the club and rebuked him. Major Bose went on to say that, “even if you did not find it necessary to inform us about your marriage, it is my responsibility to bless you on behalf of the Club. After we won the 1911 IFA Shield, I got 12 of these badges made. I gave 11 to the 11 players and still have the 12th one with me. I had thought I will give it to someone who will carry forward the tradition and heritage of MohunBagan, someone who will always be with the Club.” Bose gifted Gostha the special badge, which had a Royal Bengal Tiger on it.
Not many know that Paul played both cricket and football with distinction for Mohun Bagan. In doing so, he even orchestrated one of the earliest satyagrahas on the sports field. The incident occurred in 1928 in a match against the Calcutta Cricket Club, considered Mohun Bagan’s fiercest opponent in those days.
In this match, Pal was late in reaching the ground and hence decided to go in with his shirt above his dhoti. Initially no one complained. Soon after the game started, Pal came on to bowl and took two wickets in four balls. Somewhat stunned, Calcutta Cricket Club lodged a protest with the umpires stating that dhoti wasn’t a part of the cricketing attire and was ‘native clothing’.
“If Gostha was to continue playing, he must wear a trouser.”
Pal and Mohun Bagan refused and the match was stopped. For the next six years, the teams did not play cricket against each other.
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